La Spinetta "Pin" Monferrato Rosso 2001

Purple/red.

Vibrant red and black fruit nose, with (A-1?) spice, earth and a medicinal nuance as well. Deep.

Intense black and red raspberry, oak spice and earth in the mouth. A bit more breadth/"give" than the '99 at this point, but then also more tannic. Definite front teeth "chew", which really inhibits any coherent finish. Needs time.

I think this and subsequent vintages are blends of Barbera and Nebbiolo only.

Day 3 - Deep, killer nose - earth/spice/aged Bordeaux herbs/A-1 ...
Quite intensely flavored - spicy black fruit, Bordeaux herb/rust - then huge tooth-coating structure. Again, this appears to be nowhere close to primetime. This obviously seems to include Cabernet, so I wonder if my previous comment is accurate.

In the La Spinetta/Rivetti lineup, this bottling is my favorite, and fortunately, very affordable.

$40